SAP

Secure

SAP Security (Technical Foundation)

SAP Security is the foundational layer that focuses on the technical protection of the core SAP systems (like SAP ECC or SAP S/4HANA). It dictates who can access the system and what they can do once inside.

Key Focus Areas and Components:

User Authentication & Authorization: Controls system access through usernames, passwords, and other authentication methods. The core activity is defining roles and profiles that contain specific authorizations for transactions, programs, and data.
- Role Design (PFCG): Creating and managing the technical roles that define a user's permitted activities.
Data Security: Protecting sensitive business data in the database, during transmission (encryption), and preventing unauthorized modification.
System Hardening: Securing the operating system, database, network, and SAP application server configurations against technical vulnerabilities.
Security Monitoring: Logging and tracking user activities and changes to critical system parameters for auditing and threat detection.

SAP GRC (Strategic Oversight & Automation)

SAP GRC is a software suite that provides an integrated, strategic framework to manage the entire enterprise's governance, risk, and compliance activities, leveraging the foundation provided by SAP Security. It focuses on the business process risks and regulatory compliance.

GRC aims to automate and streamline the process of identifying, managing, and mitigating risks, particularly those related to user access and business processes.

Key Pillars and Core Modules:

01.
Governance:

Establishing and maintaining the organization's structure, policies, and processes.

Provides a framework for accountability and transparency.

02.
Risk Management:

Identifying, assessing, and mitigating potential risks that could impact business objectives.

Proactively manages various risks (operational, financial, IT, etc.).

03.
Compliance:

Ensuring the organization adheres to internal policies, laws, and external regulations (e.g., SOX, GDPR).

Automates compliance monitoring and reporting.

Major SAP GRC Modules:

Access Control (AC)

Process Control (PC)

Risk Management (RM)

Audit Management

Manages user access and ensures Segregation of Duties (SoD) to prevent fraud.

Monitors the effectiveness of internal controls over business processes.

Provides a comprehensive approach to managing enterprise-wide risks.

Supports the entire internal audit lifecycle.

Access Risk Analysis (ARA): Scans for SoD conflicts (e.g., a user can't both create a vendor and process the payment). Access Request Management (ARM): Automated workflow for requesting, approving, and provisioning user access. Emergency Access Management (EAM): Provides "firefighter" (super-user) access for emergencies, with full audit logging.

Continuous Control Monitoring (CCM): Automatically and continuously checks if key controls (manual or automated) are working as designed. Control Self-Assessment: Manages the documentation and periodic testing of controls.

Risk Identification & Analysis: Tools to systematically define, analyze, and quantify various risks. Risk Response: Enables planning and tracking of mitigation activities.

Planning, preparation, execution, and reporting of audits.

The Relationship Between the Two

SAP Security is the prerequisite and foundation for SAP GRC.

SAP Security ensures a user can't perform an unauthorized action at the technical level (e.g., a non-financial user is physically prevented from accessing a finance transaction).
SAP GRC ensures that the technical access granted via SAP Security does not result in a high business risk or compliance violation (e.g., a single finance user is not granted the ability to bypass an entire control process, like creating a purchase order and approving the invoice).
Essentially, SAP Security handles the day-to-day "gates and keys," while SAP GRC provides the high-level "rules and regulations" to govern how those gates and keys are managed.